The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen on Saturday denied responsibility for an airstrike that the previous day left at least 70 dead and around 100 wounded in a prison controlled by Houthi rebels, an attack condemned by the UN. .
Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting pro-Yemeni government forces against Houthi rebels near Iran.
The rebels, who control much of the north of the country, blamed the coalition for the bombing.
In more than seven years of war, all parties to the conflict have been accused of “war crimes” by UN experts. Involved in several incidents, the military coalition acknowledges “mistakes” but accuses the rebels of using civilians as human shields.
The UN has been trying for several years to end this devastating conflict which it says has killed 377,000 people and brought a population of 30 million to the brink of starvation.
The attack on a prison in Saada, a Houthi stronghold in the north, killed at least 70 people and injured 138, according to the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
This assessment concerns only one hospital in Saada, while “two other establishments also received many wounded”. “The search continues in the rubble,” added MSF.
Eight NGOs, including Action Against Hunger, Oxfam and Save the Children, said in a joint statement that the dead included migrants, denouncing a “blatant indifference” to civilian lives.
The coalition, of which the United Arab Emirates is a part, has denied targeting Saada’s detention center, denouncing “disinformation” from the Houthis.
In a statement, quoted by the official Saudi news agency SPA, the anti-rebel military alliance said it had examined the allegations, before concluding that they were “false”.
The rebels broadcast a video showing footage presented in the aftermath of the attack in Saada: destroyed buildings, rescue workers pulling out mutilated bodies and corpses.
The United States called for “de-escalation”, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned “the attacks by the Saudi-led coalition” and called for “effective investigations”.
Iran also condemned the attacks and warned that the bombings would make the peace process “more difficult” in war-torn Yemen.
– Internet cut off –
On Thursday, the coalition confirmed, on the other hand, that it had targeted the port city of Hodeida in the hands of the Houthis, through which most of the international aid destined for the country passes.
At least three children were killed while “apparently they were playing on a nearby football field when the missiles landed”, according to the NGO Save the Children.
The coalition said it targeted Hodeida as a “center of piracy and organized crime”. After the attack, the internet was cut off in the country.
In Saudi Arabia, air defense forces on Friday intercepted and destroyed a missile fired from Saada towards the Khamis Mushait region (south), which is home to a large air base, according to the coalition.
Coalition attacks have intensified in recent days in Yemen after the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks that left three people dead in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates. The Gulf country had warned that it would retaliate.
On January 3, the Houthis hijacked an Emirati-flagged ship in the Red Sea, further heightening tensions as the coalition gains ground in the disputed provinces.
The coalition warned that it would bomb the ports of Hodeidah.
After capturing the capital Sanaa in 2014, the rebels managed to conquer large swaths of Yemeni territory, mainly in the north.
know more
+ SP: Man dies standing, leaning against car, and scene scares residents on the coast
+ One twin became vegan, the other ate meat. Check the result
+ Reincarnation in history: an age-old belief
+ Andressa Urach asks for money on the internet: ‘Help me pay my card bill’
+ Horoscope: check today’s forecast for your sign
+ CNH: see what you need to know for the application and renewal
+ See which were the most stolen cars in SP in 2021
+ Expedition identifies giant squid responsible for ship sinking in 2011
+ Everything you need to know before buying a crockpot
+ US Agency warns: never wash raw chicken meat
+ What is known about fluorone?
+ Trick to squeeze lemons becomes a craze on social media
+ IPVA 2022 SP: see how to consult and pay the tax
#Saudi #coalition #denies #responsibility #attack #Yemen